Improvement in time-locks



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

C. 0. YALE.

TIME-LOCK.

No .174,996. Patented March 21,1876.

fiwerd'or:

%, 6M4 ygw N-PETERS, PHUTULITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D C

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

C. O. YALE.

TIME-LOCK. No.174,996. Patented MarchZI, 1876.

N-FETExs, PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. D O

UNITED PATENT CHARLES O. YALE; OF N YORK, N Y., ASSIGNOR TO HERRING GOM- PANTY, 0F SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN TIME-LOCKS.

Specification forming part (if Letters Patent No. lmgooa'datea March 21, 1876; application filed J atiuary 5, 1576.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHAS. 0. YALE, of th State, county, and city of New York, have invented'cer'tain new and useful Improvements in Time Locks, whereof the following is a specification 4 These improvements relate to time-looks, particularly as applied to 'safe's'and'vaults, wherein'a device, which may be termed the obstruction, prevents theretra'ction of the lock or safe bolts until it is automatically removed by the time mechanism 'or, in case that; fails to act, by an alternative provided et-teeth engaged at long intervals by a clutch attached to one of the train of gear-wheels. For that purpose the teeth of the wheels so Vary in number from each other that certain cam-points thereon andon the clutch, between- 'whioh an intermediate lever is arranged," can only efl'ect the necessary co-operation' with said lever and the clutch once in a great num:

ber of revolutions 'of said wheels. The said cylinder has an opening for admitting a device moved by the bolt when the latter is to be unlocked, but at no other time. i The device representing the mechanism fo checking the speed of the'hand-op'eration con sists, in this instance, of apair of-slidin g bars having cam-slots Working over a square or cornered stud. V

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvements, I have shown in the annexed drawing a lock and apparatusil lustrating the invention, and which I will now proceed to describe.

Figurelis an elevation of said lock. (Shown aswith the 'back of the case-reinov'edi) Fig.2 shows the outside of case and parts'attached thereto. Fig. 3 shows the caseflcovering the clock-movement as seen from theside, and in partial section. Fig. 4 shows, enlarged, the said cover as removed and reversed, exposing the mechanism within. Fig. 5 shows a dial and knob, to which the lock-spindle is affixed. A A is the lock-case. B is the bolt. D is the cylinder or obstruction to thebolts, rotatlever, F, attached to the inside of a cover, J,

placed over the cylinder D. The spindle H passes out through the safe-door, (to which the lock is attached in use,) and is there atfixed to a knob, K. The bolt B,h'as-a pin, 2,

that enters a slot in a lever, Gr, carrying a piston, I, thatmust enter a certain "opening in the cylinder in order to permit the bolt to be unlocked, as hereinafter mentioned"; The cylinder D is, in construction, a shell, consisting of a disk, (1, with a rim, d, which surrounds and incloses the clock-movement, and the disk (1 is attached to the central shaft thereof, which is geared to make about one-revolution to two of the hour-hand of a clock, or at a slower speed, and is adjustable, like suchhand',

on or to said movement. It is marked 'ofl" in a number of divisions, representing one hour each, and the opening 8 therein is brought, by rotation of the cylinder, under the piston I when the time arrives for releasing the 'bolt or bolts.

The bolt B is operated by a cam, W, affixed to the spindle H, and is held locked by said cam and a number of rotary tumblers, U, notched as usual, for the admission of a suitable fence controlled by the bolt-in this instance consisting of a projection, 'V, situated at one end of the lever V, on the other end of which the bolt rests.

The approach to the depressed portion of the cam W is by a curve slightly eccentric to the circle of the tumblers, so that in process of scttingthem for unlocking. the contact of the cam with the fence is made and broken so gradually as not to be felt in revolving the spindle H.

Before raising or lockin g the bolt the piston I is to be drawn back and held by the spur or pin 00 catching in a notch, 3.

When the bolt is raised or locked a projection, 2, thereon, working in a slot in the lever G, lifts it, and the piston I, causing a spur, 4, to strike a cam-post, M, disengaging-the pin at and releasing the piston, which is then forced downward by a spring surrounding it, and engages the pin a; in the notch 1, where the piston remains suspended over the cylinder D. The cylinder may now be adjusted by f turning it backward from its releasing position the number of divisions representing the number of hours desired to elapse before the time for unlocking, after the usual manner of adjusting a time-lock, after which the time mechanism may be started. I

When the time mechanism, for any reason, fails to advance the cylinder to bring the opening .9 under the piston, and so remove the obstruction to the releasement of the bolts, it may be removed by advancing the cylinder, by the hand operation, from the knob K, through means of the aforesaid train of levers and certain extra gearing, which I will now describe. I

A partial or complete revolution of the knob will vibrate the lever F, through levers L and F, causing a double pawl, N, attached to F, to engage and move a train of gearing additional to, and separate from, the clock mechanism, consisting of a small spur-wheel, O, which turns a like wheel, P, gearing into a larger wheel, Q, that carries a clutch, 0, part of a spring sliding bar in wheel Q. In the face of the cylinder D are a number of ratchet-teeth, o 0, corresponding to the divisions thereon. The wheel 0 has a campoint, 6, for meeting a like point, 7, on the lower extremity of the lever B, near the midlength of which said lever has a tooth, 8, adapted to act on a corresponding lug, 9, part of the clutch-bar G, and so force the clutch outward to engage it in the ratchet 0 0 in the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 4.

The cylinder D can be moved by hand but one division at a time, and only when the cam-point 6 and lug 9 meet the points 7 and 8 of the lever B, at the same instant, and with a constant motion of the knob K or levers F F, this can happen only about once every two hours, as will appear.

The number of teeth on the wheel Q varies from that of the others, or a multiple thereof, by. at least one tooth-say, as 61 t0 30-and hence the lever R is acted on simultaneously at ,both its points only once in sixty-one revolutions of wheel Q.

The wheel 0 is moved one tooth with every two motions of the levers F F, and by a suitable contrivance their motion is limited so that they are prevented from moving more rapidly than once every second.

The device for so limiting the speed of the hand operation consists, in this instance, of sliding bars h, having cam-slots working over a square stud. The slots have square corners in the oblique portions, which catch on the corners of the stud when the levers are moved too quickly, but when the rate of speed-about that of the pendulum of an ordinary houseclockallows their weight to act, they follow the stud without interruption.

By means of this feature of my invention, the cylinder or obstruction is causedlto be advanced by hand for releasing the bolts at a slower speed (in this case about half) than it would be or is when moved'by the clock-work, rendering it impossible to use the hand operation to unlock safe clandestinely or under compulsion in a shorter time than it could or would be accomplished by the time mechanism.

When and after the knob or spindle has been rotated or oscillated the number of times about suflicient to engage the clutch O with the cylinder D-say, for two. hours-the tumblers U are to be adjusted or set by the knob and dial in the usual mannerof rotary tumbler locks.

If new the cylinder has been advanced sufficiently to bring its opening 8 under the pisston I, with the cam W in position shown in drawing, it will enter said opening, unlocking or releasing the bolt; if not,.then the motions of the knob or spindle for operating the levers are repeated another two hours-4'01 instance, when another trial may be made by again setting the tumblers, and so on these operations being continued until the cylinder has been made to move by hand the entire distance remaining untraversed at the period when the automatic operation ceased.

In the within-described improvements I do not confine myself to the precise mechanism specified. It is practicable, for illustration, to attach a clock movement and pendulum to the knob K, and run down the timepiece inside the safe by the clock-movement outside, the slow movement of the pendulum serving as a comparative check, even if worked by hand. Instead of using the force of gravity to insure the slow motion of the checking mechanism, the principle of inertia may be used, as by a loose weight on a vibrating arm, that is carried with the arm at a given speed of such arm, but at a higher speed remains at rest.

Instead of moving or advancing the obstruction by hand, with an intermittent motion, a continuous motion, with proper contrivance may be used, by combining therewith a suitable checking mechanism, to insure a limited speed of such motion? In some cases the lock, the obstruction, and the mechanism for moving it by hand, may be used without a time mechanism by sacrificing an hour or two of time, more or less, for opening the look by the hand operation. Any mechanical the handoperatiom'for the purposes-set forth;

1 ism of a time'Jock, and with a cylin equivalent Loperated th'erebyffor:anfobstrucjutiOil to, a

instrumentality adapted to convey physical force, appliediat the outside, to the inside of the safe,may be substituted for the lock-spindle, to serve the purposes for which it is used in this connection. f p Q l I claim as my inventionv 1. The combination, with a lock having an obstruction tothe unlocking of thefbolt and provided with mechanism for removing such obstruction b'yihand, from the exterior of the safe, substantially as specified, of mechanism for checkingand limiting the speed of the hand operation,'for the purposes set forth.

2.' The combination, with a lockhav'ing it a time mechanism and also provided with mechanism for-removing theobstruction to thejunlocking or releasementfof the bolt, by hand, substantially as 'describei'h of' mechanism for checking and limiting the speed ".of

3. The combination, with the time mechanior its (1 'the releasement of, ,tlie bolt at a sup lementary trainl of gearing, operation by han many 4. The combination, with suchextra gearing and the lock-spindle or its equivalent, of a-train of levers, operated by'a'cam on the spindle, for the purposes specified.

- 5. vThe combination, with the levers and extra gear wheels, of a clutch for engaging and moving the cylinder D'or its equivalent.

6. The combination, with the train of levers, of the sliding slotted bars h, constructed andoperating substantiallyasand for the purpose set forth.

7. In a combination of gear-wheels for the purposes specified, the wheels having the number of their teeth varying, as described,

vand constructed and arranged foropcration with an intermediate lever ;.that' forms a connection between cams on.-saidwheels'and the clutch, whereby the cylinder D is engaged by vsuch clutch and moved, at. ng intervals only, for the purposes set forth 011A YALE.

Witnesses: EARLE H. SiL'rH,

WM. MUNGH. 

